Chance Encounters
by ElisabethMariaWilliams
Summary: Annie's older brother Sam has been keeping secrets and he's not the only one? How can she trust them with her secrets if she 'can't handle' theirs?
1. Chapter 1

**So there are some slight changes in the events that occurred in the hook, nothing too hectic. The boys have already phased, Bella has already been to Italy, Jacob and the rest of the pack refuse to see her. Everyone is pretty much over it.**

 ** _Her POV_**

 _Jacob's Garage_

"Come on, Jacob, you can't still be into that Swan chick. She's a mess" once again Quil had to open his big mouth. He was still embarrassed that we had figured out that _he_ had a crush on Isabella, and he wanted everyone else to be just as embarrassed as he was. Unlikely.

"I don't have a crush on her, you ass. You're the one that keeps bringing her up" Jacob was annoyed again. Everyone knew that Jacob was long over Bella Swan, he had moved on to someone who was a lot healthier for him-and didn't cause half the drama Bella had managed to stir up. He tried to ignore his 'best ftiend' as he, once again, worked on the broken down Rabbit. It was getting better but it still needed a lot of work before it would sstart running.

"Just admit it Jake. You still think that she's smoking. It's okay if you do...kind of" he laughed. He dropped his head down on the work bench (probably to hide his own blush) and started paging through a very old copy of _Car and Driver_.

"You know, Quil, you're not fooling anyone. Just leave it alone. _You_ like her, _you_ don't like that _you_ and _you_ need to give it a rest. No one cares anymore" Embry said from under the older car. I watched Quil snap his head up as he tried to deny the statement in the best way possible. There was no way this would work for him.

"Come on, Annie, you get that I don't _like_ her like her, right? It's just because...she's Jake's friend. And the Chief's daughter, hell we get in enough trouble for streaking all the time. We've got to be on his good side, she could give us an in" he justified.

I felt my brow furrow, streaking? _Streaking?!_ Why on Earth would they be running around naked? This was Washington, almost every day was either cold, windy or full of rain. But then again they couldn't even be bothered with shirts and shoes while they ran around in the _forest_ , I don't know why I was so surprised.

"So you guys...streak? Why do you do it?" I asked. Neither Embry nor Jacob had even tried to deny that they did, so I tried to act as nonchalant about it as possible. I wasn't the youngest person in the room, that was Jacob, but recently it had started to feel like I was. A year ago I had been the tallest one here, and when I had come back for my vacation I was suddenly the smallest and the one who 'just didn't get it yet'. It drove me mad.

"Quil is just fu-messing with you Annie. We don't streak, _right guys_?" Jacob asked through his teeth. I didn't believe it, it sounded forced, but this was the only piece of information I had gotten from my time away. They wouldn't even tell me how they had gotten so big, they _claimed_ it was the gym.

"I'll bet he is" I murmured, sarcastically, under my breath. Once again they had shut me out, and I couldn't stand it. I hated that they lied to me _all thethe damn time_. They were supposed to be my friends. "Well, I've got to go. Sam wants me back home soon" I lied. I knew that it made me a hypocrite, but I wanted time away from them. I just needed to know where this friendship would go from here...that was if there was even a friendship left between us.

 _First Beach_

Sam had warned me that I shouldn't go down to the beach or walk through the forest alone, some nonsense about falling into the ocean and getting swept away. But I needed to be alone. I had been hoping that I could tell someone about what had happened this year, but I had come back and everything had changed so drastically. They couldn't even trust me with the trivial things never mind their secrets, was I still supposed to trust them with mine?

"Kid...I thought we talked about this" I didn't even have to turn around to know that it was Sam. He sounded so much older than he had before. He had changed too, and he was keeping the same damn secret. "I'm not anywhere near the ocean, and I used the street to get. I didn't walk through the forest" I informed him. Truthfully I was a little upset, he had intruded on my private time, once again. No one seemed to want to let me be alone. If it wasn't Jacob or the boys, it was Sam or it was Jared. Sometimes even LeahLeah (and that was always awkward). There was no peace and quiet for me.

"That doesn't matter and you know it. I told you to stay safe, you're sitting out in the open" he said through his teeth. I rolled my eyes, _what did that mean_? His eyes darted from place to place and he seemed ready for...something. A fight maybe? Whatever it was that he was on the lookout for he must have been anxious about it.

 ** _His POV_**

Fucking Sam. Another pointless patrol, in a part of the woods the redhead didn't even care about. Just so I wouldn't look his baby sister in they eye. I wasn't even interested in the kid. _She was still a kid, right_? 17? 18? 19? Not that it mattered, our bodies were pretty much all around 23 now. I'd always be 'too old' for her anyway, and that's if I didn't imprint. A pretty big _if._

 _"Hey man, she's on the beach with Sam. He says to stay away"_ and now I had Baby Black in my head. It wasn't enough that all the imprinted wolves had to avoid the Black Twins while they were in town, it was Annie Uley and Lisa Cameron too. What did Sam expect us to do when they were in trouble? Kill a fucking _bloodsucker_ with our eyes closed? It was getting ridiculous.

" _Yeah I get it. 'Imprinting is a gift from the ancestors but don't imprint on my sister'. I'll_ _just stop doing my_ patrol _so that little Annie can cross the street"_ I was being an ass, and I knew it, but this crap wasn't going to fly for much longer. Eventually everyone was going to run into one another anyway.

" _Look, it might not make sense to you but it's important to us. We don't want to drag them into this life, not if we don't have to_ " and just like that he was out of my head. Jacob was such a fucking hypocrite, he was on our side until he imprinted on Leah. Now he was on _Team Sam_.

I phased out and chucked my shorts on, if Sam wanted me to stop patrolling I would stop patrolling. The last week had been hell, I'd had to avoid Sam's place like the plague, even when Emily was cooking. I must have dropped ten pounds with all the meals I'd missed. But I couldn't go into the house, not even for pack meetings, none of the wolves who didn't imprint could.

"Whatever Sam. I'm tired, I just want to go to bed", and that was Annie Uley in the flesh. They sounded like they were taking one of the forest paths home. _Shit._ Another night without Emily's free meals. I really needed one, I was so fucking tired of wasting my money on those damn pizzas.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Her POV_**

It had been three days since Sam had found me on First Beach and he hadn't let me out of the house since then. Any time I brought up needing something, Emily magically had whatever it was that I wanted. If I even suggested that I wanted to take a walk then someone would _always_ want to join me. And Lord knows that if I stayed in my room there was always someone at either my window or my door 'just getting some fresh air'. I knew that I sounded paranoid but it felt like everyone was watching me.

"Hey Annie" Sam called loudly from the kitchen. I suppressed the urge to sigh and rolled out of my bed to make my way to him. There was an entire tray of empty dishes from all the meals I had had in my room, it was the only time I ever got to myself. Well that and my time in the bathroom, luckily everyone seemed to get that they couldn't follow me _everywhere_.

"Jacob, Quil and Embry are headed down to the beach...you still want to go down there, don't you?" he was so busying cleaning up the kitchen that he missed the shock on my face. _Was he serious? **Again** with the chaperones?!_ This had to be on purpose. He had fought me every single time I wanted to get out of the house, even when I _wanted_ to take the trash out.

"No. I don't want to go Sam" I hissed, "What I want is to be able to leave the house without you throwing a fit or making _Jacob_ watch me. I'm 19 years old for Pete's sake, I've graduated from high school, I'm paying my own way through school. And you still treat me like a child". And now he had finally turned around and paid some attention to me, but he didn't look very happy with me either. He wasn't angry and he wasn't shocked, but I couldn't figure out the look on his face.

"You're still living in _my_ house Annie, so yes you will do as I say. I don't care how old you are you could 14 or 110, if I tell you that you can't go running around the forest at night then you won't. There's no discussion about it. Now go get ready for the beach before I change my mind" his hands shook at his sides as he spoke to me.

Where was this coming from? Last year Sam hadn't cared if I stayed out all night, he had only wanted me to check in every couple of hours. And now he had gone off the deep end. Did he forget that I had raised myself and taken care of my mother between binges? Had it escaped his memory that I was the one who got Joshua through rehab _and_ found a way to pay for his funeral when I was only _sixteen_? I knew how to take care of myself, I had done it all my life.

"I'm not going to the beach. You want me to stay in this house, right? Then I will. I'll be here through breakfast, lunch and dinner Sam, I don't care how long it takes. I'm not leaving this house until you start treating me the way you used to, keep your _pity_ outings to yourself" and with that I went back to my room.

 _Four Hours Later_

I had never been this bored in my life, I was regretting telling Sam that I wouldn't leave the house. But I had done it to prove a point, he wasn't going to control me. I was not his child. My only form of entertainment was my cellphone, which was slowly dying, and there were nearly tears of joy when it finally rang.

"Hello?" I beamed

 _"You sound bored, you must be to answer tthe phone like that. I thought you were with your brother. Isn't he_ 'the coolest _man' you have ever met?"_ Bennett was a godsend, he would save me from a few minutes of boredom.

"He used to be. Now he's just an ass, he won't let me out the house. Not unless one of his sidekicks is there to bsbysit"

" _Are they hot friends? I mean, you could make the most of your_ _situation"_ he sniggered.

"That's...disgusting. There's no way I would try anything with them, they're Sam's friends and they would probably treat me the same way he does right now . It would be weird and just piss me off"

 _"Are you sure? It would be a great way to piss him off too...think about it"_

"No way, I can't do it...and now I'm changing the subject, why'd you call?"

He was quiet for a long while, and I was just about to ask if he was still there when I finally heard him speak, " _Did you tell Sam yet? Or anyone really?"_

"I've been trying to get out of the house to talk to police Chief Swan, he's not in charge of the Reservation but he heads up everything in Forks. I just...I can't tell Sam about it. Not when he's like this, and he's keeping a secret too. A big one, they're all keeping it from me. He doesn't trust me, how am I supposed to trust him?" I asked quietly.

Bennett knew how much I struggled with trust, we had known each other since middle school and he was my best friend. He just _got it_. _"Look, if you can't trust Sam then you need to figure that out or find someone that you do trust, but seriously sort that shit with him out...preferably **after you tell someone, dammit.** You can't keep acting like this isn't happening, you need a plan to end it"_

He was right. I did need a plan, I just didn't know where to start. First things first, I had to get out oof the house and talk to Chief Swan.

 ** _His POV_**

Of course Sam's baby sister was keeping secrets, what the hell else did they expect her to do? All they did was lie to her and they were crap liars too. And really, easedropping? They had to know that they'd hear _something_ they didn't like. I knew that Sam's privacy thing was bullshit too, he was the nosiest person I had _ever_ met. He must have been _fucking ecstatic_ when he phased, he could hear everyone's shit without having to sneak up them.

" _Don't be an ass man, this is serious. Whatever this is she needs Charlie's help for it"_ once again, Baby Black was in my head and trying to play conscious. If anything, he should have been the one trying to help Annie get what was going on. He did it for the leech lover, why not someone who was _actually a part of the tribe_.

" _Maybe we should let her in on the secret, you can't hide it forever Sam. Especially not when she lives in your house, your home is pack central. Billy even has council meetings there sometimes"_ ten points to Brady, the only one (and the youngest member of the pack) to make some fucking sense. Did they really need a 13 year old to tell them what was what?

" _Brady's right. Then you can figure out if she actually anyone's imprint, it's hard to avoid your house Sam. All of my clothes are there"_ and there was Collin, he earned himself ten points too. The kids were on a roll today. Sam had insisted that everyone keep their shit at his house and now we had to be nudists because he had Alpha ordered us away from the house.

" _No, we can't tell her yet. But you've made some good points, I'll have to think about it"_ and that was Sam's way of saying 'screw you, I haven't heard a damn thing you've said'


	3. Chapter 3

**_Her POV_**

Sam seemed to be on edge when I finally left my room to get some dinner, I didn't know if he had changed his mind about being such a jerk but he was staring at me quite a lot. A part of me, the really childish part, wanted to ask him what the hell he was looking it, but I simply ignored him and put some food on my plate.

"Annie? Would you like to join us all for a movie while we eat? The boys say that it's really good, it's a Bruce Willis movie..." Emily probably thought that she had just tempted me. I didn't even want to tell her how little I cared for whatever action flick they had decided to watch, telling her how I really felt would probably start up another argument with Sam, he was always so sensitive when it came to her. He was never that way with Leah. "I'm fine" I said simply.

When I looked around the roo, I realised that there were more people present than usual; I could see Sam, Emily, Jared, Leah, Jacob, Embry and Quil, but the were four other boys I hadn't seen before. They looked like the others (just as big and just as serious), but two looked much younger than the others. Maybe even my age or a few years younger.

"Come on, why don't you just...meet everyone. You've been cooped up in your room for such a long time. You might just like it" she tried again. She was playing mother hen again, _oh joy._ I watched as several pairs of eyes fell on Sam, and he was fuming. Whatever it was that Emily was trying to do he didn't seem to like it, he might even have hated it. But there was nothing that I could say really, Sam and I were not speaking, hell he hadn't even _looked_ at me yet.

"Really, Emily, I'm fine. Thanks though" I said to her. Sam seemed to relax some and I tried not to take it personally as I continued to dish up my food. _Did he not want me to meet his friends?_ I couldn't even think of a reason why...maybe he thought that I was acting like a brat earlier. Could that be it? Was it some macho alpha male thing? _Stay away from my women_ or anything like that?

"If you keep staring it, it might just turn into a tree" an unfamiliar voice spoke. My daydream was broken and I turned back to see one of the boys I hadn't met waiting for me to finish with the mashed potatoes. There was something about him, something I couldn't put my finger on, but I liked it...I really liked it. He was handsome, or he could be if he tried not to look like he had a hair trigger temper. _Could he tell how hard my heart was beating?_ I felt so on edge and so calm at the same time. It was unnerving.

"Funny" I said dryly, trying to keep my cool, "You should be a comedian. Really". But the spoon did end up in his hands and my eyes moved from his face to the window that faced the forest. It took everything not to stare at him, but I managed it, I refused to be _that weird girl who drooled._ It was embarrassing enough that everyone else was treating my like an outsider. He didn't need another reason to stay away from me.

Instead of the reply I expected there was silence, and after an award moment I turned to see him looking past me at the scene in the living room. Sam was visibly upset, his whole body was shaking, and Jacob and Jared were at his sides trying to hold him back. "I told you this shit would happen! But you _had_ to bring them in here! Look at them Emily, now she's cursed too!" I had never heard him yell at Emily before. I hadn't heard Sam yell at anyone actually.

 ** _His POV_**

The second I looked at her I knew that the shit had hit the fan. Sam would kill me, Baby Black would probably help him do it too. But I hadn't expected him to yell at Emily, that was something else. Something new. Weren't imprints supposed to live in some kind of bullshit fairytale? Yeah, that must have hurt him the second he said it, I couldn't imagine yelling at Annie that way. Maybe my imprint was still too new to do that to her.

Once Black and Jared had dragged him out into the forest I saw Emily run out to the car and take off, probably going back to her parents, she even grabbed her emergency overnight bag. They'd definitely make her stay the night, they still hated Sam for breaking up their family. He was going to be pissed and whiny when he realised that she was gone, that's if he calmed down any time soon.

"Gees man, that was rough, you okay?" Collin looked scared shitless but Brady was still calm enough to ask. At least the kids were cool about it...sort of, they knew that this kind of thing never happened on purpose. Everyone knew that it didn't, _but_ they would probably still blame me for it. That's all they ever did these days anyway.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking man. Someone should probably make sure Uley doesn't tear down the neighbourhood" they had taken Sam too far away into the forest for any of us to hear anything. We were all trying to hear them too, it was obvious by how quiet the room was.

"Hey Annie...you should probably wait in your room until Sam gets back" Quil said quietly. I hadn't forgotten that she was still here, but she hadn't been my focus. She still didn't know about imprinting so she didn't know how much power she held, that she could make me just as clingy and dramatic as Sam was or just as shitty as Jacob was to everyone else (when Leah was around). And she didn't need to know anything about it, not until I could figure things out for myself.

"My room, yeah, _of course_ " she muttered under her breath, sounding sarcastic as hell, "Sam's the one with the freak out and _I_ get sent to my room like some child". She moved to the cabinets, and got herself a glass of water before she moved back to the living room. "Why should I go to my room?" she asked him purposefully.

Quil obviously had no idea how to answer her, and she saw it too, she didn't even try wait for his answer to pitch up before she turned around and stalked off to her room. "I don't know what the hell you're supposed to do, but we've got to start our patrol" Brady said to Collin. I watched everyone else leave the house and then it was just me and her-or just me, she had decided to ignore everyone and focus on her food. And I needed to head home, there was no way I would be in this house when Sam got back


	4. Chapter 4

**_Her POV_**

Things had been quiet since Emily had left, Sam had tried to take over the cooking but after four days of burnt and inedible meals he had given up and started ordering pizza and Chinese food. And even though I had sworn that it would never happen, I was officially sick of junk food, but that was because no one else was cooking (I refused to even try, Sam _still_ wouldn't even look at me and it had been a week) so the junk food continued on. While Sam struggled to fix whatever was going on with Emily, I tried to figure out the mystery boy, or man rather, that I had met that day. He seemed familiar but I couldn't place him.

Hardly any of the boys had visited in the time that Emily had left, whether that was because Sam was still in a mood or because they didn't know if they were being fed I couldn't tell. The only boys that did visit where Jared, Jacob, Quil and Embry (my Sam assigned babysitters)-and neither of them where the man I was interested. I had cursed myself for not taking Emily's suggestion when she had wanted to introduce me to the boys, and now I couldn't ask those around me for his name. It seemed like everyone was ignoring what had happened.

"Annie, Sam asked me to get you out of the house for a few hours. Feel like going down to the diner?"Jacob was the one Sam was always sending to me, on top of this latest trip to the diner he had been giving me all of my meals. As angry as I was at Sam I wouldn't continue my self-imposed imprisonment, being stuck in this house was driving me mad. I had sworn that I had seen naked bodies and furry animals out in the woods a few nights ago. The naked bodies were possible, Quil did admit to streaking, but the animals? I had never seen anything that big in La Push before, they didn't exist.

"Uh...yeah. I'll just grab a sweater" I said quietly. Things with Jacob had been strained too, he tried to act like nothing was going on but I could see that something was. This secret, whatever it may be, affected everyone, it had to and everyone knew about it but me. Sam had said that now I was cursed _too_ , so at least one other person was 'cursed'. Maybe even more than just one person. But I didn't _feel_ cursed, and I certainly didn't _look_ cursed. And he had also said that something had happened, I hadn't been able to figure out what had changed since that day, had my life changed without me noticing that it had?

"Come on Annie, we have to go" Jacob reminded. My line of thought broke as I grabbed the nearest sweater, threw it on and stuffed my cellphone in my pocket, I was ready to go.

 ** _His POV_**

It had been a week without speaking to my imprint, and unlike Sam or the other imprinted wolves I wasn't falling apart or losing my mind. I wanted to see her,without a doubt, but the world wasn't crashing around me. I just _missed_ her, she had been funny and quick on her feet. She had been nervous too, but she still made it seem like she was doing alright. I liked that.

" _Sam says to change shifts, Brady and Quil are up next. You and Embry can head home"_ I hated when people interrupted my patrol, it was my time to not think, but I sure as hell didn't mind Colin telling me that I was done for the day. Sam probably hadn't realised that we were all patrolling longer than usual, he must have been focused on Emily coming back to 'talk'. And we all knew what that meant, her guilting him into saying sorry for the scars on her face. That was a her son for every fight, _Sam couldn't handle the scars_. Because she was deluded enough to believe that her relationship was otherwise perfect.

When I phased back I didn't even bother heading back home, I was too hungry to try and figure out what I would cook, I'd just go out, buy some shit and go back to bed...maybe swing by Annie's room and make sure that she's okay. Or even bring her back some food too, something with chicken in it. She had dished up some chicken for herself that day, right? Everyone loved chicken anyway.

And I was so focused on that damn chicken that I hadn't even _seen_ that Baby Black and Annie were in the diner too. She had on some furry little...she looked like a poodle in that white sweater she had on, but she still looked pretty good. She was a little pissed, I could definitely see that, but even then I still wanted to walk up to her do something stupid. Like staring at her. I never got a chance to really look at her with all the shit that had gone down.

"So...how have you been?" for the first time in my life I was glad that Baby Black had opened his mouth, I wanted know how she was too. Annie looked down at the menu, pursing her lips, and if I didnt have the senses I had I wouldn't have seen her nervously bounce her knees under the table. "I'm...fine Jacob" she was lying. Was that a nervous thing? It would be amazing to figure out what she looked like when she was lying...for when we finally had a conversation about imprinting. But I needed to know other things too, was she already feeling the effects of the imprint? Was it hurting her? Was that why she was so pissed?

"Why can't you just tell me what's wrong? We're supposed to be friends Annie, and you've just shut down on me. Can you please just...let me be your friend" Baby Black was whining but he was making sense, she should have someone on her side. We _all_ knew that Sam was too focused on his own shit to be there for her. Annie sighed "Why would I trust you to be my friend Jacob? All you've done since I've gotten back is lie and keep secrets, am I supposed to want to share anything with you?". And...she had a point too, all anyone was doing was lying.

"Annie...this isn't about me right now, this is about you. Yes I'm keeping a secret but it's...intense. Right now, you wont be able to handle it. But that doesn't mean that I can't be your friend. So come on, what did you want to talk to Chief Swan about? Maybe I can help" he said. He was a fucking idiot, did he even realise what the fuck he had just done? Dammit, he had fucked up on both points.

"Chief Swan? How did you find out about Chief Swan? Have you been going through my shit, Jacob?" she was getting upset right on cue, she had the whisper shout down and everything. "No! No I wasnt going through your stuff, I heard you on the phone. But I wasnt trying to easedrop it kind of just...happened, and I'm worried about you. What do you need the police for?" he was still saying idiotic things. Was he really thinking that she'd be fine with him noseying in on her business because he was 'worried'? Chump.

And instead of worrying about what Jacob was saying I should have focused on her, especially when I realised that she was headed right towards, charging like a fucking bull.


	5. Chapter 5

**_His POV_**

She ran into, literally ran into me. There was no game plan for how to handle this, she was already pissed at Black and I didn't know if that meant that she was pissed at _all_ of us. We were all shutting her out, but she didn't _really_ know anyone but Black and his fan girls. Leah's term not mine, that's what she called Quil and Embry when she wanted them to go away. I, on the other hand, had no idea what a fan girl was, but it didn't sound all that great. What the hell would they be a fan of? Why were they only girls? What was the point?

"Shit, I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was..." she trailled off. I had managed to catch her before her ass had hit the floor, and she had only just caught on. "You're...you were at Sam and Emily's movie dinner thing" she stated. She remembered me, that was good. I didn't think that she would forget me but it was still nice that she remembered. It wouldn't be too weird for us then. "Yeah, you're Sam's little sister, I remember you too" that wasn't why I remembered her but I wasn't going to say that she was my soul mate just yet.

I finally had my chance to really look at her, and there was no denying that she was beautiful. Her skin was dark, flawless really and her lips were full, that was good for...obvious reasons. Her hair was huge and light and fluffy, it was obvious that she was part African American, and damn if I didn't want to just touch it.

"Yeah...that's me. I'm sorry again for bumping into you, you're probably on your way to grab a table before they're all taken" she had stopped me from staring but she was also right, I was going to grab a table but that was before I had started easedropping...and staring. "You should get away from her, Sam will make you shit bricks" Jacob hissed from the other side of the diner. But I didn't give a shit about Sam or Jacob they _both_ got to be with their imprints without anyone standing in their way.

"Have you had anything to eat yet?" I knew that she hadn't and she shook her head no "Feel like grabbing a table together? Sam and Emily will probably be a while, might as well make the most of it" I informed her. And then she looked confused. "Emily? Emily is coming back? Is that why they wanted me out of the house?" she demanded. And she was pissed again. "They couldn't even tell me that? Really?" she muttered under her breath.

"Yeah, they're going to talk some things out. Probably get...busy for an hour or two and then it'll be safe to go home" I shrugged, while it usually pissed me off how routine their fights were I was glad for it today, I got to spend more time with her. "Sounds like it happens all the time. I thought that they were perfect for each other and could do no wrong" she said sarcastically. And if I wasn't under Black's evil eye I would have laughed. "Often enough...so you want grab a table?" I asked again, kind of nervous that she hadn't answered my question.

"Yes. I'd love to grab a table"

 ** _Her POV_**

He had asked me out, I think. He hadn't said that it was a date but he did ask me twice, that had to count for something. Or was he just being nice because I was Sam's 'little sister'? Goodness, that was what he had actually said, it was my identifier. Did he think that he was just doing Sam a favour by getting me out of Sam's hair? Especially since Javob had failed.

We walked to the other side of the diner, as far away from Jacob as we could possibly get, was he purposely leading me away from Jacob? I'd hoped so, he was not my favourite person at the moment. "Is this okay for you?" he asked quietly, looking around the noisy room as he spoke. "Yeah, this is fine, thanks" we both took our seats as the waitress who had handed Jacob and I our menus csme to do the same for...I still didn't know his name. Would it be rude to ask now?

"When we met earlier, I mean we didn't really meet, but when we spoke earlier I never introduced myself" he started. I struggled yo suppress my relief, he didn't need me to bring up that we didn't know each other's names. "We didn't, you're right. I am Annie Uley-Collins, but I usually just go with Annie Uley" I said holding out my hand to him. "I'm Seth. Clearwater. Leah's brother"

Seth? I had met before or at least, before he had changed obviously when Sam was still dating Leah, he had been happier back then. Always cracking jokes. He didn't look like he did that anymore. "I...Sam's mentioned you before, when he and Leah were still together, he always said that you'd end up being another big brother" why had I said that? I didn't want him to be my brother, I already had one of those and I wanted ssomething...different with Seth.

"God I hope not, I definitely don't want to be your brother. I've already got to deal with Leah" he scoffed. That was good, maybe he wanted something...different too. Or he was just being nice and this was a one time thing. I hoped that it wasn't, I didn't know him yet but I wanted to, I was almost desperate to have something more than another sibling. "Sam must have a hard time being your brother too, you guys didn't grow up together. That must have been awkward", he didn't mince his words either, he was always so sure of himself.

"We didn't know about each other until a few years ago, I only met Sam after Joshua's funeral and I was cleaning out his room. There are two other siblings out there too...but I couldn't figure out how he kept track of them" I confessed. It felt like a confession too, people always assumed that Sam and I had at least known about each other and we had never corrected them.

"That must have been rough, I lost my father when I was fifteen but our situations are a little different" he said quietly. Sam had been in a bad place when Harry Clearwater had passed away, it had been right after he had broken up with Leah for Emily and that had caused some drama at his service. "Still, losing a father is hard. There's a lot he'll never get to see, you know?" and I knew exactly what he meant. I was doubtful that Joshua was ever going to walk me down the aisle or see my children, but it would have been nice to know that I could have asked.

"I always thought that I'd get to show Joshua and my mother that I wouldn't end up an addict...they met...doing drugs and they never did overcome it. I fought him tooth and nail when he said that it was genetic and I wouldn't eacape it. He never got to see that I did make it without ever trying anything. Wow, that sounds spiteful" I realised. And I didn't mean for it to be, not really. But Seth seemed to understand and gave me a small nod.

"It's not spiteful. I wanted my father to know that I wouldn't ever do what he did, get some woman pregnant and then act like he didn't know it was his kid. It caused a lot of problems for me, Leah and Embry, kids don't deserve that. But he died beforw I even got the chance to say it" he told me.

I knew that I didn't know Seth, but it felt like he knew me. At least on this level, it was nice to know that there was at least one person I could talk to.

 ** _His POV_**

It was official, I wanted her. Or I at least wanted to get to know her and Sam was going to kill me for it. Embry might try to kill me for it too, he didn't hide that he thought I was a fuck up waiting to happen. But I was going to have her and we would figure this imprint thing out, she didn't know me from before, she might have heard some things but she didn't _know me._ and I was happy about that, she wouldn't talk about how much I had changed or why I wasn't 'happy' anymore. It felt like she already liked me just the way I was.


	6. Chapter 6

**_Her POV_**

Seth and I had talked all afternoon, long after we had both eaten we ended up on the beach. Nothing we talked about was as intense as the conversation we had had at the diner but it was still informative. He told me about his friendship with Embry and Leah's relationship with Jacob, even a little bit about how his mother was now married to Chief Swan. Although he didn't seem very upset about his life I didn't get the impression that he was very happy, he didn't hide it either. It was obvious that something had happened to make him so jaded.

When the sun had finally set we decided that it would be 'safe' to get back home to Sam. "You should know that Sam might not be too happy about this, he wouldn't want you to be friends with me" he let me know. I didn't understand why he would think that, Sam had always loved Seth, even I knew that. "Sam doesn't get to choose my friends Seth" I said quietly. He smiled a little at that before he turned to look at me. "Just...he might give you a hard time. Be prepared" he warned.

"Why would he give me a hard time? He's always trusted you" I reminded. But he shook his head at me, "Not with this, he doesn't think that I'm good for you". I had long since ignored Sam's advice on guys, he never thought that any of them was worth my time and he had, on more than one occassion, run a guy out of my life. I wouldn't let that happen with Seth, I wasn't expecting a relationship but I wanted to have someone I could talk to. Seth seemed like he could be that person, especially with how easy it had been talking at the diner.

"Sam never thinks that anyone is good for me, he is probably the biggest reason why anyone is too afraid to ask me out. If it was up to him I'd be locked away forever in a place with no men" I giggled, because it was true. He'd want me to be a meek little virgin for the rest of my life, and it would never happen that way. I was growing up and making my own decisions, paying my own bills and figuring myself out.

"Ha! He tried to do the same thing to Leah when she started being with Jacob, they fought every chance they could get. I even think that they liked it" he laughed. And I liked his laugh, it was so light and so genuine, he had been like this all day. I couldn't get enough of his contagious happy mood. "I can't imagine Sam ever telling Leah what to do, she'd definitely cut him down to size" I managed to say between giggles.

The path back was difficult to see in the fading light, but Seth had placed his hands on either sides of arms and led me home, the conversation was still going strong. "Yeah, Leah won't back down from a fight, she ended up with Baby Black in the end" he sighed. He almost sounded tired. "So there's hope for me then, Sam will have to let me choose who I want, no one else will ever get to choose for me" I smiled. Seth didn't say anything else but he did hold on a little tighter.

It was only a few minutes later when we stood outside of Sam's dark and empty home, and it was so quiet I could hear myself breathe. "Looks like they aren't here...I'll wait with you until they get back" he sat down on the grass and pulled me to sit down beside him. I had noticed how comfortable Seth was with physical contact during the day, he was always managing to touch my in one way or another but I never felt suffocated. I liked it, I had felt so isolated here in La Push and he made me feel like I had an ally.

 ** _His POV_**

She seemed happy, I wasn't dumb enough to take credit for her happiness but I was going to do everything I could to make it last. In the back of my mind there were a million things going on; she still needed the police to help her, her relationship with Sam or anyone else wasn't too great at the moment, the fact that Sam and Emily weren't here meant that things had gone really well or they were shitty, and Sam was probably going to try to keep me from my imprint if things were shitty. I was going to have to figure that out before I told her what I was.

"We should get inside, it's a little cold out here" she said quietly. I had forgotten that the weather would affect her more then it would affect me, but I did start a fire for her as soon as we got into the house. Sam would hate it but if Emily came back with him he'd appreciate it for that reason alone...and then he might just remember that he was an older brother and that Emily wasn't the only person depending on him.

"Are Sam and Emily always like this, having big blowouts and disappearing?" she wanted to know. Honestly they were, a big fight would come around every month or so and then everything would suddenly be fine. It was almost scripted. "It doesn't happen everyday, but no one is surprised when it _does_ happen. You get used to it" I shrugged. It was a nice version of the truth and I hadn't lied to her, I was impressed with myself.

"I never thought that Sam would like that kind of drama..." she trailed off. And she was right _Sam_ didn't like drama but his imprint did, that was why they had these fights in the first place. A wolf would always be what their imprint wanted them to be. It was why I needed to get to know Annie before I told her about the wolves and imprinting. It wasn't always the best thing for the tribe or the pack. "People change when they get into relationships Annie" I sighed. "They shouldn't" she whispered.


	7. Chapter 7

**_His POV_**

Annie's fire was going strong, she even seemed happy about how her day had gone, and that was good. She hadn't really been happy since she had gotten here. But maybe she needed a day out of the house with someone who wouldn't act like she was only twelve years old, like Sam and Baby Black liked to do. She just needed a minute of no worries and I definitely understood _that_.

"Thank you for a good day. When Jacob took me to the diner I was pissed off, he...he really made me feel like an idiot. But this afternoon was good" she smiled. And I finally felt good, the last few years had felt like shit but today was better for me too. _I_ made _my_ imprint smile. And while the 'withdrawl' from being away from her didn't feel as crippling as the other wolves, the feeling I got when she was smiling was definitely as strong as theirs. I could handle this imprint thing, or at least it felt like I could. But the good mood didn't last for her, the second her phone rang her smile disappeared. She wasn't scared but she definitely wasn't happy.

"Seth do you mind if I take this in the kitchen? I'll be back as soon as I'm done" she said. I gave her a quick nod and saw her disappear into the kitchen to try and answer her phone call. Part if me wondered if it was that Bennett guy again, I wasn't jealous of him, he actually seemed like a good friend if he was pushing Annie to get some help. She needed that. As much as the everyone spoke about imprints and family being pack no one ever treated them like that, sure you eould protect your pack but you had to trust that your pack could help you in sone ways. Imprints and family weren't trusted like that, hell half the time thry never even knew the full story so that they _could_ help.

"Ben, I was just about to tect you back" she smiled, it sounded like she was.

 _"Yeah, I'll bet that you were_ just _about to do that"_ he said sarcastically.

"I was, really. I was just...out...with Seth all day" she still sounded like she was smiling.

 _"Seth? Seth...as in you finally found out mystery guys name? It's about damn time, you were driving me crazy with your calculations to figure ot out"_ he laughed.

She had been trying to figure me out? I guess that it made sense, no one was really coming by the house to _talk_ and I doubted that they would answer her honestly anyway. _Of course_ she had felt lime she needed to figure it out on her own.

"I wasn't calculating, but yes that's his name. I had actually seen pictures of his when he was younger and Sam used to talk about him a lot. But we had never met" she said quietly. Her smile was gone.

 _"So you 'went out' with Seth then. How does Sam feel about it? Scratch that, I don't want to know. Just tell me if Seth seems like someone you can_ talk _to"_ he asked.

And just like that this guy was one of my favourite people, he _wanted_ her to have someone. Usually the wolves were lovers, brothers or friends to their imprints but I would be her secret keeper too or just she had meals on the beach with. I _wanted_ to be something to this girl, _me_ not some imprint pull.

"Yes, he seems like someone I can talk to.We talked a little bit about how it started...he just doesn't know that yet. He just seemed to understand it all Ben" she was practically whispering.

How it started? What did that mean? I racked my brain for any hint of something that could lead to _her_ needing the police. We had talked about family, but her parents were both gone and had been for a long time, their 'habits' couldn't _still_ be following her, they had been gone for years.

 _" I'm proud of you, kid. I know that it isn't easy to tell someone but you need to, especially if you're going to stay that side for a while. You and I both know how they feel about you being in Washington"_ he sounded wirried, my eyes could pick up the tremor in his voice.

"I know, I know. There's still a few more weeks until I'm supposed to go back, I'm going to ask Seth to take me. Hopefully he won't want to hear everything at once" she sighed.

 _"Seth? So_ that's _what his name is"_ her friend teased.

I liked that she had talked about me, I knew that it made me sound like a possessive bastard but it was _my_ name in _her_ mouth.

Her conversation pretty much ended with that, I hoped that she really would take me along when she went down to Charlie's station. She might not want or even need the help but I was going to be there for her anyway.

 ** _Her POV_**

Bennett always managed to feel better about whatever was going on in my life, it felt like he made the problems stand still for a moment. And he was right, I did need at least person I had some faith in. Why not Seth? He was like me in some ways, and I definitely had more confidence in him than anyone else.

"Seth?" I called from the kitchen, I had started on some chicken sandwiches. The one thing I had managed to learn from Emily was that these boys did eat a lot. "Yeah? Do you need anything?" he asked. He, much like the other boys, never made any noises when he walked, and it always managed to startle me. "No...yes. Could I ask for a favour?" I started. He didn't look uncomfortable or like he was annoyed with me asking, he seemed almost patient. "Sure" he shrugged.

I asked for a ride to the police station and even if he would walk in with me, I didn't plan on repeating the story so it would be good if he was there when I told the Chief. The Den Mother at my old sorority, Mrs Dwyer, said that he was a good man, he wouldn't treat me like the detectives back home and definitely better than campus security had ever been. It was strange that she would bring up her ex husband like that but she had always been strange anyway.

Seth didn't ask a lot of questions other than if I was okay and what time I wanted to be down at the station. We agreed to go first thinv in the morning and go to the diner afterwards, I hoped that this would be a thing we did-talking and eating together. But talking about this would be more difficult than talking about my parents and their habits. He see,ed to get that it wasn't going to be a hood visit but he ndver pressed me for more information.

Sam, on the other hand, was just as interested as Emily in wanting to know what I had planned for the next day, but I managed to keep the focus on them and their sudden reconciliation. Clearly they were back to being 'perfect' and I was no longer as impressed with their relationship as i had been before. Their conversations and actions seemed scripted, love wasn't easy but it didn't seem like it needed to be that hard for him either.

"So djd you have a good time with Jacob today?" Emily asked, but she was watching Seth and I like she thought that we might have a secret. "No, I didn't really spend all that much time with him" I sighed. She wasn't very surprised, and neither was Sam for that matter. It still felt like everyone was in on some big secret but at least no one was lying to me about it.

 ** _His POV_**

Emily lacked skills, that was the only explanation for how obvious she was being. Everyone could tell that Annie hadn't been with Jacob in hours, Sam had probably smelt it before they had even walked through the door. But here she was, playing clueless. Or maybe she really was that clueless, how else could she be that bad at pretending not to know something?

"Don't do anything to hurt her Seth, you'll regret it" Sam said under his breath, it was too quiet for the girls to hear but it was loud and clear to me. "She's already hurting Sam, I'm just trying to make it all a little more bearable" I said honestly. He had to know that she was hurting, even Baby Black with his blinders on had seen it, and that was even _with_ his head shoved up his imprints ass.

"Hey Seth, I know that I said it earlier but...thank you again for today. And for tomorrow. It's nice to have someone here" Annie whispered as she took a seat by my side. I tried my damndest to keep my arms from sliding around her waist, and that was even wih Sam trying to act like it hadn't hurt him to hear what she had just said.


	8. Chapter 8

**_His POV_**

After leaving Sam's home late last and getting back early this morning I wasn't surprised that Sam was waiting on the porch for me, he had wanted me to tell him her secret but I hadn't. Besides the fact that I didn't know it I just didn't think that it was his business, not unless she was in some very real danger that she couldn't get out of. And I didn't know anything about what she was into yet.

"Morning Seth, are you ready to get going?" she asked as she walked out of her room. She was nervous, even Emily could smell the bullets that she was sweating, but she managed to look somewhat calm. "Yeah, are you good to go?" I responded. She gave a quick nod but that body of hers was trembling. We said goodbye to Sam and Emily who were still eating breakfast and hopped into the second hand Jeep I had bought with the inheritance I got from my father.

Her body never stopped moving on the way to the station. If she wasn't wringing them she was opening a window, and if she wasn't fiddling with the air conditioning she was closing a window. For the first time since we had met there was a strained silence, it was bordering on awkward. "Do you want to head in by yourself?" I asked, maybe she had changed her mind and she didn't know how to say it. Even though it didn't feel like it was true, I really didn't know her. The idea that _she_ might be the one that committed a crime and wanted to make some kind of a deal hadn't escaped me. She might not be a victim of anything, and what would I do if she was _hurting_ people? I was a Protector and was my job to help not hurt.

The station was relatively quiet when we arrived, the only people in there were the officers and one of the waiters from the diner with a tray of coffee. Charlie seemed confused about why we were there until Annie mentioned Renee, which was a shock to me. She had broken this poor bastard's heart and still sent business his way? I would never understand it. But the Chief seemed to and he led us to an interview room.

"Renee didn't tell me much about your situation, other than you needed some help. Tell me what's going on" he prompted, and I listened to the absolute shit storm she was in, trying to figure out how the hell she had lived with it this long and hadn't had anyone at her side to protect her.

 ** _Her POV_**

Seth watched me but didn't say anything while I told Chief Swan the whole sordid story.But he did start to get antsy when I started talking. "When Joshua was still hooked on drugs there was this guy that used to help me out. He'd help me find him when he was on the streets, help me flush the drugs in the house and even let me know if there would be any raids in the crack houses he stayed in. I found out later that he was a cop. He didn't have a lot of influence or whatever but he knew when things would happen...we started getting together. "I thought that he had cared about me and wanted to protect me from...everything, he acted like he did anyway" I sighed.

"When you say 'got together' are you talking about a sexual relationship?" the Chief wanted to know and I nodded. "And were you under age?" again I nodded. "He never forced the relationship, I swear, but he did get...worse. He was protective in the beginning and I got it, sometimes Joshua would bring back some creepy guys. They would be other drug addicts or dealers looking for collateral, and this...boyfriend he would look out for me. Before him I would spend nights like that in shelters but he would sneak me into his aunt's place and let me sleepover. Things were good for a while" I felt anxious thinking about what came next but my voice was steady.

"And when did things turn bad?" the Chief asked. I took a deep breath, "When I got pregnant" I told him. He hadn't done much other than write some things down and I didn't even want to look at Seth. I could only imagine what _he_ would be thinking. "And where is the kid now?" Seth asked, but I still couldn't look away from the Chief to answer him. "I didn't want to keep it but he did. When I made an appointment at the clinic he showed up and arrested me for drug possession, but I didn't even have anything on me. After a night locked up he bailed me out. I tried two more times to get an abortion but there was always a cop on the block telling me to head back home to him. But then Joshua was found dead, I had a miscarriage when I saw the body" my voice was shaking but I kept talking.

"As much as I thought that I loved him I couldn't stay with him. He was so angry about the baby and he said that it was my fault because I hadn't wanted it anyway...he was worse than before. The locks on the front door changed all the time I'd have to go down to the station to get him to open the doors, or he'd have one of his friends tail me when when I walked to and back from school, sometimes I would wake up and find out that he'd locked me in the house. He always said that cops looked after each other...I didn't know what to do until I got to college. Renee was the first one to ask if everything was okay" I told him.

"She told me that if I ran away and I was over eighteen then he wouldn't be able to force me back, and I was going to until I met Sam. He knows what people say about my brother, I'm scared that he'll use it against us both. He's been texting me old photos of us and he keeps saying that he'll be coming to Forks to get back together...I'm afraid Chief Swan. He doesn't understand that it's over, Michael Newton has never taken no for an answer. He's just going to keep doing this until we get back together" I whispered.

 ** _His POV_**

Annie wanted to cry, I could smell the tears that she held back. Of course her ex would be some psycho cop, and it was just the cherry on top that Mike was from Forks and everyone loved him. Would anyone even care that he was mentally abusive and held her hostage whenever he felt like it? Or that she was underage when they started...whatever fucked up relationship they had?

"Mike Newton...that was who you were in a relationship with? Did Renee tell you that this is his home town?"Charlie asked her. Her whole body was shaking but she still managed to give a strong yes. "She said that you didn't let your cops hurt people, that I could trust you to be fair" she whispered.

Charlie's face was scrunched up in confusion and I could smell the stress that he was feeling. He, like me, was probably thinking about the fact that the whole town was setting up posters and a party for Newton's move back to the town at the end of the week. And she was right to be afraid, he was transferring to the Forks Police Department.

And the pack, they would _definitely_ need to know about this. Cops didn't have much pull on the Reservation but she couldn't stay on the Res forever, eventually she would have to go into town or head up to Port Angeles or Seattle. If that happened all he'd have to do was call in sone crime and she'd be arrested and dragged back to him. She might not want help from us but she would need it, everyone would have to work together to keep her safe from this shit.


	9. Chapter 9

**_Her POV_**

Seth hadn't said anything; not after we had left the station, not when we got to the diner and definitely not once our food had arrived. He hadn't even ordered his food, he just shrugged when the waitress asked if he wanted his usual. There was no conversation, just staring and sighing...and sometimes his body would shake before he took a breath to calm himself down. We didn't completely know each other and I wondered if he was angry or disgusted or disappointed in me. Worse still, he might pity me.

"I know that that isn't what you expected to hear, I'm sorry I made you come with me" I said quietly. He didn't react, like he hadn't heard me but he must have, the diner was almost empty. It was clear that it had just opened. "Seth...I don't know what to say to you...please just-please say something" I begged, there were tears in my eyes and the back of my throat hurt. If this made him leave me I didn't know what I would do. I knew that we weren't together but it would kill me to have him walk away from me.

"Did you tell him everything?" he asked hoarsely. I was confused, I didn't know what he meant by his question but I nodded my head anyway. "I mean it Annie. Did. You. Tell. Him. Everything. About. Newton. Did you?" he asked through his teeth. Did he believe me? It seemed like he did, but I wondered why he would think that I was still keeping secrets. "Yes, I swear. I told him everything about Mike" I promised. He nodded slowly and went back to thinking. "You never told Sam about this?" he wanted to know, I shook my head. "Mike said that he had heard of Sam and that he was some kind of dealer...back then I trusted Mike more than I trusted Sam. And afterwards I had gotten away, I thought that Mike was done with me" I was as honest as possible, hoping that he would still be open to me.

"You have to tell Sam this, especially with Newton coming back. I know that you don't want to but that's not my concern right now, I'd rather have you safe than happy" he said, he pulled out his phone and sent out some texts before he turned his attention back to me. "Eat up, we're going straight to Sam and everyone else on the beach" he informed.

 ** _His POV_**

I was angry with her, so fucking angry and I couldn't even show it. She had known that that bastard was coming back and she hadn't done anything to protect herself, she had let the days move on and had only said something a few days before he would be here. I didn't know what Charlie would have planned for him but I knew that _we_ needed to have a plan too. The pack was going to hear about this and she would be protected, there was no way we'd let anyone never mind an imprint get sucked into a situation like that.

When she finished I put her into the car and drove down to First Beach, thinking about how I would tell the pack about her problem. I didn't want to do it in the pack mind, she had barely held herself together and no one needed to know how scared she had smelled, but I didn't think that she could retell the story while she staying calm. I could do it for her but it would have to come out tactfully. She had hated talking about the details and she didn't need anyone focusing on it right now. I could simplify the story.

The whole pack was there, ready and waiting. Everyone knew that this had something to do with her secret but, like me, they probably wouldn't see this one coming. Sam was already acting like he wasn't stressed the fuck out but he must not have told the others what was going because they just looked confused. "You're telling them here? Are you going to tell them everything?" she asked nervously. "They need to know how to help you, they can't do it without the facts" I told her. "Just...don't tell them about the baby...please? They might not understand and-just please don't tell them" she begged.

I didn't want to tell her that they could already hear her and that she had already kind of spilled the beans. They didn't know anything other than there had been a baby. "No one is going to judge you for that, we've all done much worse anyway and that is _your choice_. Sam would kill anyone who gave you shit over that" I said it a little louder than I needed to to make them listen. No one _could_ give her shit for it, I didn't need Sam to kill them I would do it myself.

"Just because you understand it doesn't mean that everyone else will. I know how people feel about it. But I'm not ready for anyone to find out about it. You can tell them what he did, just please keep this to yourself. I _will_ tell them, I promise, just don't tell them" she pleaded. She was trying not to cry again and I had to agree to keep her secret. They knew something but they didn't know the full story and they never would unless she said something. Imprint trumped Alpha Order any day of the week. So I'd tell the story and leave out the baby.

 ** _Her POV_**

I listened to Seth tell the guys and Leah about my relationship with Mike, he had skipped some things but they got the general idea. I wasn't in the healthiest relationship. "Why didn't you say anything to us? We would have helped you" Sam asked. My ashamed gaze was on the sand, even if Sam had offered a way out in the beginning I don't know if I would have taken it. "He turned her against you. She didn't know you Sam but he did, all he had to do was put some truth in his lies" he answered quickly.

"Is that what you were talking Bennett about? You could trust him with this but you couldn't trust your friends?" Jacob asked, he looked hurt. But all I could focus on was the fact that he had known about Bennett, especially when I had never mentioned him to anyone. "Shut up Black" Seth hissed, did he know Bennett too? "Were you _spying_ on me?" I demanded. "Oh please Annie, we could _all_ hear you" he snorted. My heart felt like it had stopped, if they had heard my phone calls then they probably knew everything. Every embarrassing detail.

"Is that why you're all shutting me out? Because you know everything" I wanted to know. "No one is shutting you out, you just aren't ready to hear it yet Annie, once you know things will change" Sam said slowly. He was still talking down to me. "Things have already changed for me Sam, I might not have the same kind of experiences as you but my life hasn't been easy either. You have no idea what I can handle" I told him. Jacob stepped out from Sam's side and put a hand on my arm, "How are we supposed to know anything if everything is a secret with you?" he asked. "You're _all_ doing the exact same thing!" I yelled.

"Maybe, but we know how to protect ourselves, you don't. Clearly we can handle our own situation" Leah shrugged. They were never going to get what I was trying to say, they weren't even trying to understand it. "I might not be able to protect myself from Mike but I've protected myself from plenty of things. And if I have to protect myself from people who keep talking _at_ me instead of _to_ me, I'll do it...Seth? Can we go now?" there was venom in my voice. I would leave La Push as soon as I could, everyone had changed too much here. I had expected home and familiarity but that had disappeared while I was gone.

My phone rang, the shrill sound cutting through the sudden silence and I saw Bennett's name pop onto the screen. "I have to get this" I said before I walked a few meters down the beach.

 _"Annie, I haven't heard from you for a while how's-"_ "I did it today" I interrupted "you told me to trust someone and I did. And it didn't change anything"

 _"They are probably just a little shocked and need some time to process everything that happened. You did tell them everything, didn't you?"_ "They know about Mike, and after today I'm not telling them anything else...it kills me to say it but Mike was right. He kept saying that everyone had changed and that they wouldn't listen and they're not...Seth...he knows everything that happened with Mike and he hasn't held it against me. But they're using this as an example for why I can't know things, I'm not living through this again. I'm just going to wait for Mike to come here and then I'm going back home"

 _"No! That's running away from it all. If it really gets bad then you come straight here and you'll stay with me. But you're not going to leave because it's a little hard right now"_ "I can't live with people I don't trust Ben, I won't do it again. Please, please just get me a plane ticket so that I can leave, I'll get another job to pay it off, I promise. Just...just please don't leave me in this place"

 _"Okay, I'll buy a ticket and I'll send you the details. But if Seth is as trustworthy as you feel he is then let him know hard this is for you"_ After promising him that I would keep trying to stay open I turned back to see Sam and Seth arguing. I didn't know what it was about and Seth grabbed on to my arm and led me away from the group before I could ask.


	10. Chapter 10

**_His POV_**

She wants to leave. Of course she wants to leave. They acted like bastards. Fucking Jacob, how he plans on being chief one day with that thick skull I'll never know. What part of ' _she doesn't trust anyone'_ don't they get? It's like they can't see thst this shit will blow up in all of our faces. She's been through enough crap without any of them reminding her about it,

Annie didn't talk at all, even when I ordered her to do things and that wasn't like her at all. Even when we pulled into Sam's place she didn't say a damn word, but her being quiet didn't mean that she had completely shut herself down. I could see her thinking hard about something, it was probably that escape plan she had hatched up with that Bennett guy. If the pack didn't fix it's shit then she would be gone and any hope we had of protecting her would go too. But how could I get a group of idiots to see the light?

"Annie. I know that it didn't go as planned but you can't run away from things that go bad, nothing ever gets fixed like that" I said sternly. She couldn't do this again, yes running had gotten her _away_ from Mike but it couldn't ensure that she'd always stay safe. She needed a concrete plan. "I'm really tired and I just want to sleep. You can let yourself out" she said quietly. Like hell I would. If I left now all she would do was wallow in her feelings and probably run straight to the airport. That wouldn't happen.

"No, I think that I'll get myself something to eat, you hungry?" I asked casually. If she wanted to act like nothing was wrong then I would too, I'd be my everyday annoying self. Her eyes flashed with annoyance or maybe it was confusion, but she reigned it in before I could make anything of it. "Fine. I'm going to bed" she said dryly. And her feet shuffled along to her bedroom before she softly closed her door.

I started on some sandwiches when I heard the first sniffles make themselves known-she was crying. She was definitely trying to keep it quiet but my super hearing made it hard for that to happen, I could smell the tears and the panic too. She was scared, truly and honestly scared. I put the knife and the bread down as I made my way to her bedroom, it would annoy the shit out of her but I was always going to be there for her. I'd be a shoulder to cry or a kick in the ass, I'd even disappear for a while if it would help her. But right now I was going to show her that she couldn't shake me, because I'd always do what she needed.

 ** _Her POV_**

I didn't notice him when he got into my room, or even when he sat down on the floor beside me. it was only when a warm had touched my thigh that I knew he was here. "I'm going to tell you a few things about those people on the beach, it's not going to excuse their behaviour but maybe it will help you understand. Everyone, and I mean everyone on this Reservation, looks to your brother. They ecpect him to make decisions and help people and understand the things that they can't, and no one ever second guesses what he says. Over the last few years that's messed with his head a little bit. He means well but he's an idiot. Jacob is pretty much the same way. He doesn't have the...power Sam does but he's going to have it soon. And then they'll treat him just like your brother, but he's already as messed up as your brother" he saud quietly.

I already knew that Sam had some kind of authority here but I didn't what it was that gave him this authority. No one ever told me what it was that they did. "The other guys, they will all follow Sam no matter what. He's helped them all in some way or another and they value him. It's like that poem about those soldiers, they knew that their leader had made a mistake that would get them all killed but they followed him anyway. Because they respected him. Leah...Leah questiins everything and that is both good and annoying, the problem is that no one ever takes her seriously. Even when she's right, she'll always be Sam's crazy ex to these people" he sighed.

I looked up at him and quickly wiped my wet face, my head was already banging from all of today's...excitement but I didn't need that to show on my face. "And what do you do?" I whispered, it was barely audible. "I do what I have to, but only if it's right. And then I leave" he said honestly, his eyes held mine. My attraction to Seth had been clear to me since the first time I had seen him but I had managed to keep it locked up. Sitting here with him I could feel my arousal showing up again, but I would never act on it. This was what had gotten me involved with Mike in the first place, and while I knew that they weren't the same it was still a mistake.

Mike had saved me, protected me from everything my parents were involved in. For a while he had made things better and I could feel safe, and then I had fallen for him. After I had made it away from him I realised that I had been with him because he had been some kind of hero. Seth was kind of saving me too, and I didn't want that to be the reason that I fell for him. But that was what this was, I was only interested in him because he was helping me, and giving into that would bring on a new load of problems.

"Seth...thank you for helping me today. But I really am tired and I'd like to get some sleep" I said quietly. He looked like he was tensed up, his hands were curled up at his sides and his breathing was shallow. Without saying a word he nodded and quickly made his way out of the room, shutting the door behind him. I didn't know if he was upset with me for suddenly kicking him out but I woukd deal with it later. Right now I wanted to sleep and pretend that this day hadn't happened for a little while.

Tomorrow I would talk to Bennett and Sam, and figure out how I was going to get rid of this...whatever it was I had for Seth. And I'd also have to think about what I'd do when I saw Mike again.


	11. Chapter 11

**_Jessica Stanley POV_**

Mike was bavk in Forks. He looked...better, much better than he had as a teenager. While he hadn't grown any taller his body was muscled and leaner, it was clear that he had been working out. He was a police officer after all, that was half of the reason for the street bash currently taking place. That and his return _home_. The Newton's were clearly proud, showing off to anyone who even pretended to care tto listen, Karen hadn't failed to tell me that he was 'the one that got away' for me. And she wasn't wrong, he was the one that got away. I had finally built up the nerve to hurt him the way that he had repeatedly hurt me and he had gotten away.

He had always managed to stop people from seeing what he was doing, always been so clever with his words and deceptive with his actions. Every time that I had managed to get away he would spread the rumours that I was vapid and dramatic, petty and looking for attention. No one would believe that I was being abused while Mike made me sound like a clueless gossip that wanted nothing more then to be the girl on top. I had hoped that I would finally have an ally in Bella Swan, she was new and for all she knew Mike could have been the one 'seeking attention' or whatever else he managed to tell people. And her father was the Chief of Police here, I could ask for his help without having to lay any charges against him. But Mike had managed to turn her too, much like he had turned my former friend Angela Weber against me. And I was on my own once again. Until I went to college.

Being around new people, people who didn't need me to say that something was wrong or that I was afraid was refreshing. I felt like the person I had been in middle school, the one who hadn't believed that people in a small town would ever hurt each other. Finding a support group for women who were in abusive relationships was even better, they understood why I had never told anyone what had happened. Why I still needed to keep it a secret. And they had taught me self-defense, I was more than eager to run into Mike when I had gone home for the summer break. But he had _left_. I had worked hard to be a stronger person, to inflict on him all the pain he had put on me. And _he had left_. I was furious. But he was back now.

I watched him smile and hug and laugh with our neighbours and 'friends', they all welcomed him back with open arms. Not even aware of the way they had defiled their own bodies by letting this monster touch them. The only people who didn't seem too happy to see him were Chief Swan and a group of people I remembered from the Reservation. Chief Swan's dislike was obvious, Mike had tried more than once to get Bella to be his girlfriend. It had gotten to a point where she had had to change herherself number and her then boyfriend, now husband, Edward Cullen had scared him off of her for good. The Quileute's I couldn't be too sure about, sure they gad known that Mike was annoying but they looked ready to attack. With theirs bodies tensed and their eyes never leaving Mike it was easy to believe the rumours that they were a gang. But I had been burned by rumours before and I knew better than to trust them.

Mike looked away from our old group of friends-Angela, Ben, Tyler, Lauren and Eric-and managed to spot me from where I stood on the other side of the street before smiling slowly and giving me a small wave. He was already trying to mess with my head, I remembered these little games from our relationshit. "Keep waving asshole, you'll end up dead" I muttered under my breath before turning around and walking back into the house I had just bought myself. Yes, it would be difficult to live across the street from him but I knew how to defend myself now. And I could keep an eye out for any poor girl that ever happened to catch his attention.

No one here had believed that Mike had been anything but perfect in our relationship and that I was the one playing with his heart every time I had managed to leave him, and I didn't care anymore. There was a time that I had needed these people but I was passed that now. If Mike went after anyone else I would be there to believe them, and help fight him with whatever I could if they needed it. And if the truth about what Mike had done ever came out I would make sure that these people realised just how damaging they had been while they protected him.

 ** _His POV_**

The brunette was angry, seething at the sight of Mike. I didnt know what had happened between the two of them but I did remember seeing her and their friends down at the beach when they threw their little parties. She was his girlfriend at the time. He was always at her side, never letting her talk to anyone for too long and he could never keep his hands off of her. Back then I thought that he had loved her, or was just some horny and jealous teenage boy but I had to wonder now. Had he hurt her? Was she his first victim or had she escaped the kind of abuse Mike was inflicting on _little girls?_ She wasn't little now, she had clearly grown into a strong woman who worked out. But was that because she wanted to or because she felt that she _had_ to to keep herself safe?

I needed to find out what she knew, if she knew anything.If she had experienced anything that Annie had then maybe she could be tempted to report to Chief Swan. Two reports had to be enough ti at least look into Mike's behaviour. I just needed to remember her name and get her comfortable enough to trust us with her information. When he waved at her I could almost feel her blood boil, and once she had said what she haf I just knew that she at leasr _knew_ something about him. And I wasn't the only pack member to realise it, for the first time Sam, Jacob and I were in complete agreement about something. We had to find out what we could about Mike Newton and the Brunette.


	12. Chapter 12

Jessica POV

"Jess, we haven't seen you in ages" Angela smiled. She had Ben at her side and her younger twin brothers awkwardly filed behind her. Like the others from high school Angela had swiftly cut our friendship once Mike and I had 'decided' to end our relationship, and it seemed that she had 'decided' to have a change of heart, in the last two weeks I had received the occasional friend request from her and Lauren Mallory. "Jess…wow. So it's true, you really are back, some people saw you around town but no one was sure it was you…you weren't exactly stopping to say hi" Ben rambled, much like he had always done in high school. Ben, like Angela, had changed after high school, they both traded their glasses for contact lenses and they had clearly matured in the way that they dressed. Ben was still gangly and awkward looking, but Angela had filled out and gotten a more muscular physique.

"What Ben means is…why haven't you stopped by to say hello? We've all missed you so much, it feels like you left us all behind after you ended things with Mike" she tried to say politely. I never failed to surprise me just how subtle Angela had been with her need to gossip, her kind words and sweet gestures always ended up with her kindly confessing your problems to the nearest stranger, in her far-from-earnest attempt to help the entire town understand your struggles. Today, however, her need to gossip would come in handy. "I wasn't too aware of my surroundings; I was a little more focused on getting the house ready…for my daughter and my fiancée" I started. And with that I turned and made my way back to the other side of the street where both my fiancé and our daughter were waiting for me.

When I had decided to leave Mike my fiancée, Robbie, had helped me realise that I wasn't the one at fault, I hadn't brought Mike's aggression into my like and I certainly didn't deserve it. After years of therapy and setbacks, finding my own support group and realising that I wasn't responsible for his behaviour; it had been difficult to wrap my head around the revelations and the epiphanies about both Mike Newton and myself. I had deserved much better, and I was more than willing to go out into the world and get it.

Her POV

Sitting alone, in Sam's home, was driving me crazy. I knew that Mike was already in town and I knew that Seth and some of the others were keeping tabs on him, but I was still anxious. No matter how strong and prepared these boys thought they were, they were still only that, boys. Mike had his strength, his reputation in this town and his badge to back him up if anything went wrong. I had heard the rumours going around both La Push and Forks, everyone already believed that my brother and his friends were in a gang and doing drugs, they were already one step behind it all. If Mike decided to use his police influence to make things difficult for any of the people on the Reservation, he would certainly be able to do exactly that. I knew that Forks Police didn't have any influence on the Reservation but I could only hide out here for so long eventually I would have to go into Forks or Port Angeles and certainly Seattle. He would get to me in no time.

"Would you like a muffin or a sandwich?" Brady asked with his mouth full, he was currently on Annie-sitting duty. "No, what I want is to be able to leave when I want to leave" I knew that I was being a spoilt bitch, but sitting in this house and eating yet another turkey sandwich or bran muffin wasn't going to change things. Especially not when Mike was out there working to make sure that no one would discover exactly what he was like. Or maybe he was showing his new colleagues at the police station exactly who he was and getting even more contacts that would make sure that he would get away with everything he did. Both situations were terrible and would probably come back to work against me.

"I'm sorry Annie, Sam and Seth said to keep you here. This is the safes place you can be right now" Collin said, in between taking bites of the sandwiches in his hands. "Fine. I need to make a phone call anyway…I'll just go to my room" I sighed, despite my brief tantrum I hadn't expected wither of the boys to let me out without a fight. They were both incredibly loyal to Sam, refusing to second guess him even with the strangest of orders, I had tried to figure out what it was that made these boys listen to Sam so attentively. Or even why they were always around the house, skipping either school or work to run around the forest, occasionally returning in clothes they hadn't been wearing when they walked out of the house. They even begrudgingly followed Emily around or listened to her when it was more than clear that they didn't care much for her. Kimberly was also a strange addition to this…house of mystery, the boys clearly loved her but they still occasionally looked at her like they weren't sure that she truly belonged. I, however, didn't have any more time to focus on her or any of the other members of Sam's strange circle I needed to call Bennett and make sure that he knew that I still needed him.


End file.
